We consider our pets as furry family members but when someone else’s dog attacks, it’s an unsettling reminder that dogs are animals with mysterious instincts and motives we can’t always understand.
Dog bites are not only painful, scarring, and prone to infection, but a serious dog attack is one of the most traumatic experiences a person can endure.
After suffering injuries in a dog attack, reach out to the Henderson dog bite lawyers at Bay Law. Our personal injury lawyers in Henderson are ready to help you understand your legal options in a state without strict liability laws for pet owners.
Table of Contents
- Why Choose Bay Law?
- What To Do After a Dog Bite
- Common Dog Bite Injuries
- Compensation After a Dog Bite
- State Statutes & The One-Bite Rule
- How a Dog Bite Lawyer Can Help Your Case
- Contact a Henderson Dog Bite Attorney
Why Selecting Bay Law as Your Dog Bite Law Firm In Henderson Is the Right Choice
At Bay Law, we love our pets too, but when a stranger’s dog approaches, we understand the danger. After combined decades of navigating dog bite injuries in Nevada, we offer the following advantages as your legal counsel:
- Experienced representation by an attorney with deep compassion for those who suffer this unique trauma
- A personalized strategy to help you recover the maximum compensation available to you
- The resources, skills, and knowledge of an entire legal staff working to advance your claim
We offer free consultations to evaluate your case. If you become our client, you only pay us after we recover your compensation through a settlement or court award for your damages.
What Should I Do if a Dog Bites Me?
After suffering a dog bite, it’s crucial to take the right steps for your physical safety and eventual financial and physical recovery. First, get to a safe place or seek help until the attacking dog is secured. Apply emergency first aid as needed. Then, do the following:
- Use your cell phone to call 911 to report the attack and request animal control services
- Use the phone camera to take photos of the dog and anything relevant to the attack, such as a broken fence, a dragging leash, or a chain
- If the dog’s owner is present, add their contact information to your phone
- Photograph your visible injuries
- Go directly to a hospital or urgent care center
- Hire a dog bite lawyer in Henderson from Bay Law
Dogs have sharp jagged teeth that function similarly to serrated blades used to cut and tear meat. Unfortunately, dog bites often leave deep punctures and jagged wounds that are prone to infection and scarring.
Common Dog Bite Injuries
Doctors classify dog bite injuries in levels, based on the depth of puncture wounds and the extent of the damage.
Level-1 bites are simple abrasions, while levels 2-4 are increasingly serious punctures, wounds, and torn flesh. Level-5 and 6 bites are the most serious, involving the loss of fingers or toes, traumatic amputations, consumed flesh, and death.
Common dog bite injuries in Henderson include the following:
- Scrapes and punctures
- Deep lacerations
- Bruises
- Soft-tissue injuries
- Degloving (flesh peeled away from hands or feet)
- Facial injuries
- Bites to the throat
- Scalp injuries
- Traumatic amputations
An attacking dog can cause other injuries if they knock their victim down during the attack, such as head injuries and fractures. Most dog bite injuries require treatment for infection and often reconstructive surgery to repair scars and restore function. Depending on the circumstances and the result of testing on the dog, a dog bite victim may require preventative rabies treatment.
Emotional injuries such as PTSD, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and depression are also common after-effects of dog bites, especially after brutal attacks with serious injuries. The most serious dog bites can end in wrongful death.
Potential Compensation After a Dog Bite in Henderson
Dog bite injuries are painful and leave deep physical and emotional scars. Common compensation recovered in Henderson dog bite claims may include some or all of the following:
- Reimbursement for emergency medical expenses
- Future medical costs for further treatment such as reconstructive surgery and infection prevention or treatment
- Lost earnings
- Future income loss
- Diminished future earning capacity (if the attack results in disability)
- Pain and suffering
- Scarring
- Disfigurement
- Loss of limb
Dog bite victims may also recover compensation for therapy to deal with the emotional trauma that’s common after dog bites.
State Statutes and the One-Bite Rule
Nevada is one of a handful of states that lack a strict liability law for pet owners. In states with strict liability dog bite laws, the injury victim does not have to prove negligence. Instead, the state assumes the pet owner takes responsibility for any property damage or injury caused by their dog the moment they take ownership or control. In Nevada, however, no such strict liability law exists, making it more challenging to recover compensation for bite victims.
Because it lacks a strict liability law for dog owners, Nevada operates under what’s known as a “One-Bite Rule.” This rule asserts that a pet owner cannot know that their dog has a propensity to bite unless it has bitten at least once before or shown aggressive tendencies.
It’s still possible to recover compensation from a dog owner’s property liability insurance even if the dog never bit before, but it’s a more challenging case, requiring proof of owner negligence or showing that the dog had a history of aggression and the owner failed to take reasonable measures to prevent the dog from causing injuries.
How a Dog Bite Lawyer in Henderson Can Help You Build a Strong Case
An experienced Nevada dog bite lawyer can thoroughly investigate your dog bite case, seeking evidence that the dog’s owner failed to properly contain their dog, failed to react, or that the dog has a known history of aggression or previous attacks.
Even if the attack occurred on the owner’s private property, they still may be liable for your damages as long as you were legally on the property as a visitor, delivery person, or anyone approaching the front door for lawful purposes and not in the process of committing a crime.
Proving pet owner liability requires showing evidence that the dog owner breached the duty of care they have to prevent a vicious dog from causing injury to others, that the dog caused your injuries, and that you suffered significant economic and non-economic damages from the injury.
“Deniz and his crew deserve 5 stars across the board. Amazing service and knowledgeable staff. I would highly recommend them to my friends and family.’’
Recommended
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Get Help With Your Injury Claim From a Henderson Dog Bite Lawyer
Instead of taking on a complex legal case while also dealing with the physical and emotional trauma of a dog attack, contact the Henderson dog bite lawyers at Bay Law Injury Attorneys.
Our skilled and compassionate attorneys are ready to prepare the strongest possible strategy for obtaining compensation, financial accountability, and the sense of justice you deserve.